SSSAS waitlist or no?

[Anonymous]

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just got a sponsored targeted ad about applying to SSSAS for kindergarten - specifically 2026/2027 year which has already come and gone for admissions. Did they have low enrollment for K this year? Anyone know?

They are probably trying to fill some spots. A few years ago when my son was applying SSSAS had seen his profile and they messaged us that they liked him for the fall. This was after the admissions cycle though and he had already got in where he wanted to go so we didn’t follow up.

Interesting! We applied and would have accepted but couldn’t afford without aid and were denied. Such a bummer.

You dodged a bullet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Current SSSAS family. I’ve heard of more rejections than ever this year. They have quite a few post pandemic bubble classes that they are trying to bring back down to normal numbers. The new admits in the sixth grade class are only siblings. I think this points to inattentiveness by the administrator of the ad- which is a notable reflection on the school. Even with tuition increases, the school seems to be thriving and bursting at the seams. The middle school is weak. The sports are going downhill. The new high school campus is shining. The lower school is sweet and the same.

I know a 6th grade admit who isn't a sibling.

[Anonymous]

Girl or came with siblings

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That tuition for kindergarten is really high. There are other schools, just as good and nearby, for half the cost or less if you want private. The ROI on private school is never good, but it’s particularly terrible on expensive kindergarten unless you are worried that your kid won’t get accepted into a later grade.

Do you mind sharing which? Specifically in ALX? Most of the others were Catholic or the same price 😭

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Current SSSAS family. I’ve heard of more rejections than ever this year. They have quite a few post pandemic bubble classes that they are trying to bring back down to normal numbers. The new admits in the sixth grade class are only siblings. I think this points to inattentiveness by the administrator of the ad- which is a notable reflection on the school. Even with tuition increases, the school seems to be thriving and bursting at the seams. The middle school is weak. The sports are going downhill. The new high school campus is shining. The lower school is sweet and the same.

I know of 2 boys, non-siblings admits for 6th next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That tuition for kindergarten is really high. There are other schools, just as good and nearby, for half the cost or less if you want private. The ROI on private school is never good, but it’s particularly terrible on expensive kindergarten unless you are worried that your kid won’t get accepted into a later grade.

Do you mind sharing which? Specifically in ALX? Most of the others were Catholic or the same price 😭

NP: For K? Grace Episcopal (PS-5)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Current SSSAS family. I’ve heard of more rejections than ever this year. They have quite a few post pandemic bubble classes that they are trying to bring back down to normal numbers. The new admits in the sixth grade class are only siblings. I think this points to inattentiveness by the administrator of the ad- which is a notable reflection on the school. Even with tuition increases, the school seems to be thriving and bursting at the seams. The middle school is weak. The sports are going downhill. The new high school campus is shining. The lower school is sweet and the same.

Lots of rejections at SSSAS this year, including siblings and alumni children. But I also know of multiple instances where a family followed up to the rejection and asked for the school's reasoning and then the school reversed the decision and admitted the students. Honestly, this year's admissions process felt different in so many ways. Decisions and rejections were surprising in numerous ways. I am curious what their enrollment numbers are for the early grades in particular. They did hire a new Director of Enrollment last year, and this was her first admissions cycle. I suspect the overall "offness," rejections, and reversals have something to do with her leadership.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current SSSAS family. I’ve heard of more rejections than ever this year. They have quite a few post pandemic bubble classes that they are trying to bring back down to normal numbers. The new admits in the sixth grade class are only siblings. I think this points to inattentiveness by the administrator of the ad- which is a notable reflection on the school. Even with tuition increases, the school seems to be thriving and bursting at the seams. The middle school is weak. The sports are going downhill. The new high school campus is shining. The lower school is sweet and the same.

Lots of rejections at SSSAS this year, including siblings and alumni children. But I also know of multiple instances where a family followed up to the rejection and asked for the school's reasoning and then the school reversed the decision and admitted the students. Honestly, this year's admissions process felt different in so many ways. Decisions and rejections were surprising in numerous ways. I am curious what their enrollment numbers are for the early grades in particular. They did hire a new Director of Enrollment last year, and this was her first admissions cycle. I suspect the overall "offness," rejections, and reversals have something to do with her leadership.

Sounds like a complete lack of leadership or organization. It just doesn't seem to be worth $55K as compared to other options.

[Anonymous]

This happened to us - they rejected DS who would have been a great fit and we couldn't figure out why (we also weren't asking for aid). When we wrote to ask why, they said they changed their minds and DS could come. It was so strange and put me off the school completely. We chose another school. Their admissions team seemed super disorganized, and I worried it was a reflection of the school administration in general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This happened to us - they rejected DS who would have been a great fit and we couldn't figure out why (we also weren't asking for aid). When we wrote to ask why, they said they changed their minds and DS could come. It was so strange and put me off the school completely. We chose another school. Their admissions team seemed super disorganized, and I worried it was a reflection of the school administration in general.

How embarrassing for SSSAS to switch decisions like that but it is not surprising. You made the right choice in choosing another school. The school has no leadership or vision as to where they are going and what they want the school to be. Good luck to your family.

[Anonymous]

Schools can (and do) waitlist & reject AND have below-target enrollment for a grade at the same time.

Maybe the incoming K group is 60% boys and the waitlist is also predominantly boys, and they want to balance that out with new girl applicants before going back to the waitlist. They may have a 9th grade class that has maxed out some languages and math classes, and too many kids on the current waitlist want to take Algebra 2 and Spanish. Or maybe they have some strong students on the waitlist who need significant financial assistance, and they'd need to balance that our with students who need less or no aid before admitting them.

I'm making this up, obviously. All this to say, SSSAS could have a waitlist and be advertising for K at the same time because the students on the waitlist don't meet the needs for that grade right now. If you have a student who fills a need, there's no reason not to let them apply now instead of making them wait a year!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools can (and do) waitlist & reject AND have below-target enrollment for a grade at the same time.

Maybe the incoming K group is 60% boys and the waitlist is also predominantly boys, and they want to balance that out with new girl applicants before going back to the waitlist. They may have a 9th grade class that has maxed out some languages and math classes, and too many kids on the current waitlist want to take Algebra 2 and Spanish. Or maybe they have some strong students on the waitlist who need significant financial assistance, and they'd need to balance that our with students who need less or no aid before admitting them.

I'm making this up, obviously. All this to say, SSSAS could have a waitlist and be advertising for K at the same time because the students on the waitlist don't meet the needs for that grade right now. If you have a student who fills a need, there's no reason not to let them apply now instead of making them wait a year!

My understanding is that the reversals were not the result of a traditional waitlist process. In fact, I had heard that no waitlist was maintained this year. Rather, it appears that after decisions were released, enrollment outcomes did not align with expectations, leading the school to revisit certain decisions. From the examples I'm familiar with, those decisions were revisited upon outreach from the rejected families, it was not the school proactively reaching out. At the same time, I know of several families who sought reconsideration and were not granted that opportunity, which makes it difficult to understand the consistency of the process.

What has always made SSSAS special is its identity as a true community school, one that values sibling enrollment, encourages families to remain through 12th grade graduation, and takes an individualized approach that recognizes and supports each student's unique strengths and learning needs. As a current family, it feels as though some of those defining characteristics are slipping away. I hope I'm wrong because our DC has had a positive experience and the teachers have been transformational in our child's academic journey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools can (and do) waitlist & reject AND have below-target enrollment for a grade at the same time.

Maybe the incoming K group is 60% boys and the waitlist is also predominantly boys, and they want to balance that out with new girl applicants before going back to the waitlist. They may have a 9th grade class that has maxed out some languages and math classes, and too many kids on the current waitlist want to take Algebra 2 and Spanish. Or maybe they have some strong students on the waitlist who need significant financial assistance, and they'd need to balance that our with students who need less or no aid before admitting them.

I'm making this up, obviously. All this to say, SSSAS could have a waitlist and be advertising for K at the same time because the students on the waitlist don't meet the needs for that grade right now. If you have a student who fills a need, there's no reason not to let them apply now instead of making them wait a year!

My understanding is that the reversals were not the result of a traditional waitlist process. In fact, I had heard that no waitlist was maintained this year. Rather, it appears that after decisions were released, enrollment outcomes did not align with expectations, leading the school to revisit certain decisions. From the examples I'm familiar with, those decisions were revisited upon outreach from the rejected families, it was not the school proactively reaching out. At the same time, I know of several families who sought reconsideration and were not granted that opportunity, which makes it difficult to understand the consistency of the process.

What has always made SSSAS special is its identity as a true community school, one that values sibling enrollment, encourages families to remain through 12th grade graduation, and takes an individualized approach that recognizes and supports each student's unique strengths and learning needs. As a current family, it feels as though some of those defining characteristics are slipping away. I hope I'm wrong because our DC has had a positive experience and the teachers have been transformational in our child's academic journey.

I can see how this might be true for some, but my high-performing DC’s needs were never met.

[Anonymous]

The entire admissions staff is new. The wonderful admissions director who really had the school on a great trajectory was pulled to another school. His kids still go to SSSAS and his wife still works there so the move is interesting. His much less experienced but very good second was pulled to a different school. Both are still in DC and stayed in the episcopal schools. Anyway it seems as though the new person is having a less than ideal first enrollment. Hopefully she hits her stride because the school has really come into its own recently. We are very happy parents of an SSSAS student.